Confession in custody: Police make arrests in two-month-old murder

PESHAWAR:

After around two months, police on Sunday solved mystery of a murder as they arrested two suspects. They also rescued the eight-month-old daughter of the deceased – both the woman and the girl went missing from the city two months ago. The remains of the women are yet to be exhumed from a site in Karak.

Missing since March

Speaking to The Express Tribune on Sunday, Hayatabad ASP Hassan Afzal said Gohar and Israr Ali have been arrested for the murder of Razmina Bibi.

Razmina Bibi disappeared in March with her eight-month-old daughter Tamana. “Her husband Sultan Muhammad lodged an FIR at Sarband police station on March 9,” Afzal added, “Sultan tried to call her on her mobile phone but failed as the number was switched off.” The ASP pointed out when the police started investigation, they learned a man identified as Gohar was using Razmina Bibi’s phone.

Afzal explained, “Gohar is the nephew of Muhammad and Ali is his son – the stepson of Razmina Bibi.”

On April 4, another FIR was lodged by Razmina’s brother Khan Sher. “Razmina’s brother nominated Muhammad, Ali and Gohar in the FIR, fearing they might have killed or sold her along with her infant daughter.” Afzal added in light of Sher’s statement, the
police arrested the three nominated in his FIR and interrogated them.

Giving it up

He claimed Ali and Gohar confessed to killing Razmina Bibi in Karak and leaving her eight-month-old infant outside a seminary. Residents of Karak buried Razmina Bibi’s in a local graveyard; the police plan to exhume it for further investigation. “They murdered her in the name of honour as Israr suspected she was not a pious woman. So they decided to get rid of her.” Afzal added, “Her husband Muhammad is not involved. He is innocent and will be freed.”

Grieving his sister’s death, Sher told The Express Tribune Razmina Bibi was the second wife of Muhammad and a mother to four children.

Financial freedom

He stated, “They were poor and living a miserable life – Razmina Bibi was forced to become a drug peddler soon after her marriage.” Sher added, “She was involved in small-scale smuggling—heroin and hashish—and earned enough money to buy a 38 marla plot. Later, she constructed a house on it.”

Sher said as his sister’s financial condition improved, she started living an independent life. She had a collection of gold jewellery which she managed to buy with the money she earned.

He pointed out, “A year ago, Ali came to know about Razmina Bibi’s stable financial position and demanded money from her.” She gave him money and a part of her house to live in but Israr’s demands increased every day.” According to Sher, “When she refused to give him more money, Ali decided to kill her and tried to create an impression that my sister was a woman of weak character.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 2^nd, 2016.